NewEnglandFilm.com

This series of articles features interviews with established and emerging female filmmakers living and working in New England, as well as prominent industry figures from our region. Filmmaker Catherine Stewart discusses distribution, finding work, making connections, and handling collaborations, along with whatever else comes along. We encourage you to join the conversation here on NewEnglandFilm.com or on Twitter using #femalesinfilm.

As a recent graduate with a degree in theater, Kerstin Karlhuber found herself in New York City trying to make ends meet. She did her fair share of waitressing and retail jobs, but she also worked for an agency dealing with high-end nannying. It was here that she found the inspiration for her film Legacy Cleaning, which screens as part of the 2014 Online New England Film Festival.

“I was sent to a different home and family every day, and was well compensated in this high-end market. During those days, I spent my time in brownstones on Central Park, penthouses on Park Avenue, and vast lofts downtown.” I’m intrigued as Karlhuber continues to describe this ‘ideal’ situation of wealth, luxury, and the sense of power and control that she felt in her position alone in these homes. It all sounds like an interesting start to a film.

“Often I arrived at night and the children were already fast asleep. I’d sit alone in the lap of luxury watching TV, dreaming about this kind of wealth.” It didn’t take long for Karlhuber to wonder where the boundaries were. Do others in this job go through people’s belonging? Do they snoop, do they steal? Legacy Cleaning is an exploration of wealth and possessions, and ultimately that age-old question – does money buy you happiness?

Karlhuber co-wrote the film with long-time collaborator, and Boston University classmate, Jack Bryant. Also working with fellow BU alum Jason Beasley as Director of Photography, Karlhuber directed the all-female cast in this simple and honest drama. Legacy Cleaning can be seen online for the first time during the Online New England Film Festival 2014.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of any New England festival, as it’s where I grew up and where a lot of my films take place. It has screened in Vermont and Boston, and hometown screenings are always full of very supportive family and friends. NewEnglandFilm.com was an incredible resource for me as a film student in Boston, so I’m thrilled to have this film be a part of their festival.”

Originally from Vermont, Karlhuber has bounced around the country. She received her bachelor’s degree in theater in New York City, then went on to Boston University to get her Master’s in Film Production. She’s lived in Los Angeles, but currently resides in New York City and spends a lot of her time in Vermont. “I started my production company, Silent Giant Productions, in 2005 at BU,” she explains. “It has since grown into a fully fledged, professional film and video production company.” Their credits include national advertising campaigns, music videos, promo videos, television segments, and short films.

“In June I wrapped my first narrative feature film, called Fair Haven,” she says with pride in her voice. “This is my largest undertaking to date and the experience was a surreal one. Directing a narrative feature has been a goal of mine for years.” With a cast list including Tom Wopat (Dukes of Hazzard, Django Unchained) Gregory Harrison (Reckless, Trapper John MD) Michael Grant (Secret Life of the American Teenager), and Jennifer Taylor (Two and a Half Men), the film takes place in a small farming town in Vermont, although they shot in upstate New York for logistical and budgetary reasons. The picture is currently in post-production, to be released in early 2015.

Even with Karlhuber’s recent success, and her determination to continue making great projects, she agrees that working in this industry does present a lot of challenges. “Funding, for example, is always a massive hurdle to overcome. I finally resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to learn how to raise funds, because without funding there is no film. It’s an inevitable part of the indie filmmaker’s job. I took a film financing class, which looking back seems like fate as my instructor became the producer of Fair Haven, an attachment that made the film a reality.” Karlhuber recommends that new filmmakers learn as much as they can about financing and distribution – “because, in the end, this is a business.”